Metro News & Reviews

How to bring your bike on board and ride Metro for free on Bike to Work Day, May 15

For a free ride on Bike to Work Day, May 15, use the Gate Help intercom to notify an attendant who will open the ADA gate for you!

Next week is Bike Week LA, and Bike to Work Day takes place Thursday, May 15. Metro is once again offering free rides to all those who board with a bicycle or bicycle helmet on that day. To claim your free ride on Metro Rail at latched stations, use the Gate Help intercom located near the fare gates to notify an attendant who will open the ADA gates for you.

Additional details and tips on how to bring your bike on board below.

Board trains using doors marked with yellow decals.

Always walk your bike within Metro stations or on trains.

For everyone’s safety, do not bring bikes on escalators;use the stairs or elevators instead.

Elevator priority will be given to passengers with disabilities.

Do not use emergency exit gates at turnstiles except during emergencies or unless directed by law enforcement or Metro personnel.

If bringing your bike on a bus, try to sit or stand near the front of the bus to keep an eye on your bicycle. At your stop, notify the operator you will be removing your bike and exit from the front door.

5 star…will also offer free transit rides to bicyclists who board with a bicycle or bicycle helmet. Metrolink will offer free rides to people who board with a bicycle.
This special offer is this time only on 5/15?
Also wanted to find out if it will be safe enough leaving your bike locked while your enjoy on the Union Station Bike night? security or police around Just to have piece of mind. Thank you!

Great to see this promotion, and the publicity that is being given to bicycle riding.

However, it will be interesting to see how many bicycle riders will be able to take advantage of it. The reason is that each bus has a capacity for only two bikes, and even the trains have limits. Depending on where you are going, when, even on regular days it is not unusual that the bicyclist has to wait 2 or 3 hours for a bus that has an empty bicycle slot. I wonder what it will be like on this special bike promotion day?

I am also concerned as to what Metro’s plans are for the future, when the bike population is certain to increase in relation to other economic certainties, such as gasoline (and even electricity) price increases. Are we looking forward to such things as buses with 4 or even 6 bike carriers (would that even be practical?), or how about a bike trailer behind the bus (where you would not be able to see your bike), or a bike platform on top (which would really slow down loading, even if hoists were provided). Lots to consider. Maybe multiple bike racks on each side of the bus (with security videos to the inside)? There are no really obvious practical approaches without their downsides.

Metro and Transit-TV are great with contests. Maybe a prize offered to the person who comes up with the best, most practical solution(s)?

@stereoscope3d Bigger bike racks are a state law issue. Metro had to create special bike racks (and I believe even get an exception from the state) to allow for 3 bikes on the Orange Line busses. State law limits how large a bike rack can be, so any larger would likely require the law to change on a state level. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible to fit more, but it isn’t as easy as slapping on larger bike racks. I think it’s much more likely to see folding bikes become commonplace than it is for the law to get changed to fit more bikes on a bus.

Bicyclists do not continue to ride bicycles forever. Eventually, they move up to owning cars as they start their own families. What, are people going to go to Costco or picking up their children from school on bicycles?

I have to agree with “stereoscope3d” above. As both a Rail Line and bus rider, there is LIMITED space on both trains and buses. METRO executives need to ride buses and trains during PEAK rush hour times just to see the limited availability. And not just on one occasion. METRO executives need to use their trains and buses on a daily basis to really get a feel for what the public experiences.

I really doubt rush hour commuters on the Gold/Red/Purple Lines (the trains I use) are going to want to make more space on an already overcrowded train just to accommodate a rider with a bike. With this hot weather, tempers and tolerance are really going to be tested between bicyclists and rail line riders.

And for those who wish to ride a bus, good luck finding an open slot for the bike during PEAK commute times. At some point, I think METRO will have to dedicate some buses as “bikes only” type. 2 to 3 bicycle slots just isn’t enough on a bus. Carriers on the side or on the roof are too dangerous to the public. Trailers in the back can’t be watched thoroughly.

But here’s a suggestions for METRO (hope they listen):

ADD the THIRD car to the Gold Line and make it for BICYCLISTS AND BIKES ONLY. MetroLink does this for some of their trains and it appears to work out quite well.

Metro has far more problems to deal with than adding a third rail car just for bicyclists. They might as well use the third rail car as a “women’s only” rail car due to the rising rate of sexual harassment onboard the trains that’s going on lately.

There is no information that shows a rising rate of harassment. Metro did ask a question about harassment on its most recent riders survey — a question unasked in previous versions. If you would like to see the survey, please click here. There is also more context offered here in a recent version of the daily headlines.

You Kidding me! the ADA Gate intercom is very difficult to locate at the Harbor Freeway Green Line Station. The cyclist might miss the train if he or she cannot find the intercom. Someone needs to put a better at that station.

[…] Bike to Work Day. There are also free rides on Metrolink and various local transit providers; see Metro’s the Source for free ride instructions. Metro is hosting and co-hosting numerous Bike Week events, including a Wednesday ride and Bike […]

As we approach May 15, can anyone tell us what type of plans METRO has devised to alleviate the limited space availability on the trains and buses for Bike to Work Day? Or should we simply assume normal operations will proceed?

[…] morning. Tomorrow will be Los Angeles County’s Bike to Work Day, which includes pit stops and free rides on Metro and various other transit systems. Friday night will be Metro Bike Night at Union Station, which looks to be a lot of […]